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Battle of Campania
The Battle of Campania Part of the Greco-Roman War. Date 307 BC Location Campania Result Greek victory Combatants Hellenic League Roman Republic Commanders Alexander IV Aulus Calidus† Strength 4,000+ infantry 1,000+ cavalry 5,300+ infantry 500+ cavalry Casualties 120+ wounded 187 dead 2,300 wounded 2,000 dead Greco-Roman War Campania Marius Forest The first battle in the Greco-Roman War. Fought on the plains of Campania and ended in a victory for Alexander IV. Background The roman expansion threathened the colonies of Magna Graecia. One colony, Cumae, had already been occupied by the Romans. Alexander IV arrived in Taras. His personal interest in proving himself on the battlefield led to him being appointed the leader of a small army of soldiers, including phalangites and hoplites from Taras and Greece. Alexander IV marched north a few months later and forced a roman fort to surrender. This provoked the Romans into declaring war against Alexander and a few days later Aulus Calidus met the Greeks on the plains of Campania with his legion of Romans. Troops Alexander IV had a mixed army, ranging from hoplites and phalangites to mercenaries and freed slaves who had been trained in the art of the macedonian phalanx. The romans on had a fairly standard legion. A more accurate breakdown follows. Hellenic League Roman Republic 2,000 slave phalangites 900 hastati 1,000 macedonian phalangites 900 princeps 1,000 Taras hoplites 900 triarii 500 Greek hoplites 900 rorarii 300 hypaspistai 900 accensi 800 tarantine heavy cavalry 300 leves 200 thessalian heavy cavalry 500 heavy cavalry Unknown number of Gallic mercenaries Alexander deployed his troops with the phalangites in the center. The phalanx squadron furthest to the right and to the left were deployed slightly behind the center, and the infantry flanking the phalangites were deployed in a similar manner. He kept his cavalry on the right flank, opposite the Roman cavalry. The romans had a traditional legion formation. The hastati and Leves stood at the front lines. Behind them were the princeps, and behind them the triarii. Behind the triarii stood the reserve of rorarii and accensi. The Battle The battle opened with the romans marching forward and trying to provoke the greeks into attacking by hurling insults, which was a valid tactic against barbarians and less disciplined armies. When the greeks did not charge, the romans engaged their frontal line. Meanwhile the greek cavalry attacked the roman cavalry. Alexander killed Aulus in a duel and the roman cavalry fled from the field. After the princeps joined the hastati and leves in the fight against the phalangites, the greek cavalry hit them from the rear. At the same time, the greek flanks had entered the battle by turning around and marching into the roman side. Surrounded on three sides, the romans were cut down to the last man. The spearmen at the back of the roman army retreated from the battlefield without being pursued. Aftermath The legion was almost completley destroyed except for a few men who had managed to escape. The romans had learnt a lesson that the greeks were not as undisciplined in battlefield as many other foes they had faced in the past. Alexander IV marched onwards towards Rome and faced two more legions at the Battle of Marius Forest.